News Release

Friday, January 20, 2012

The officer involved in the below officer-involved shooting has been identified as Police Officer III Cedric Washington, 16 years, 8 months with the Department.
Los Angeles: LAPD narcotics officers conducting an investigation were sitting in an unmarked car when another car stopped near their location. Then a man who was in the car got out and pointed a handgun at them.

On Jan. 17, 2012, about 10 a.m., an LAPD narcotics officer working with a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, both in plain clothes, were involved in an investigation on 53rd Street west of Hoover Street in Los Angeles. Suddenly, a burgundy-colored Cadillac pulled up just west of their location. Almost immediately, an officer-involved shooting occurred when a suspect, described only as a Black male, pointed a handgun directly at the officers after getting out of the left rear passenger door of the car.

After the shooting, the suspect, who was not hit by gunfire, left the area on foot. The suspect’s car then sped away, driven by another male suspect and also carrying a female passenger in the front seat.

Additional officers responded to the scene, and a perimeter was established. A short time later, a handgun and two possible suspects were found within the perimeter. Officers also located the car and detained a possible driver. Later, the two suspects were released after questioning, and the driver was booked for parole violation.

Several hours into the investigation, one of the original investigating officers was complaining of pain to his right leg and taken for medical treatment due to a possible strike from a bullet fragment.

The LAPD Force Investigation Division (FID) responded to the incident and will conduct a thorough investigation of the officer-involved shooting and all related crimes. The investigation will ultimately be reviewed by the Office of the Chief of Police, the Office of the Inspector General and Board of Police Commissioners for compliance with the Department’s use-of-force policy, which states that an officer’s use-of-force actions must be objectively reasonable.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the FID at 213-486-5230. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.